Originally posted by sparky8580
Where is the clearance level of Cosmic?

One day I read somewhere online that there was this level, highest known that I could find.

I believe Cosmic is a NATO clearance.

Different agencies have different clearances. For example, a DoD Secret can not be used on a ATF contract, and the ATF public trust is the investigation equivalent to a DoD TS.

All in all, Ive worked with various levels of cleared people, worked in cleared facilities, held various clearances and I have yet to meet a alien :p

Suitability is different, but I know through career experience that a DoD Secret will NOT satisfy ATF investigations. Customs & Border Patrol also require a CBT clearance with different levels (Secret, TS, etc) that don't acknowledge a DoD clearance

Its actually a very heavily financially draining process and agencies lose MILLIONS a year having to cross investigate because they don't acknowledge other agencies clearances or because their requirements are vastly different. Any cleared individual who has touched multiple cleared projects working with multiple agencies will back this up. Its a very costly and time consuming process, and I almost wrote my masters thesis on the amount of waste that is being overlooked b/c agencies won't accept each others clearances

To use a example, You can hold a Secret clearance with the State Dept AND also a Secret with DoD

Different agencies with different investigation requirements, and they won't even acknowledge each others paperwork nevertheless each others clearances. That means explaining your life away to a investigator, having your friends and family called, records searched with each investigation.

What you experienced is not the norm. Reciprocation is. In fact, in most cases it is required by law. Title III of the IRTPA requires the government to ensure reciprocation of security clearances, and EO 13467 charges the DNI with that responsibility. There has since been a big push by OPM and the ODNI to get everyone on the same page. There is one set of security investigative products, and they are mutually reciprocated throughout the government. Agencies can establish additional requirements for assignment, detail, or access to SAPs, but collateral and SCI eligibility determinations are generally reciprocated.

It is the norm and it happens everyday. And any cleared individual will confirm it.

I know when I was in the Air Force my clearance was Top Secret SCI 1/14. Anyone know what the numbers mean? I know you can only hold a TS for five years before they redo the investigation and 10 years for a Secret clearance. I just never knew what the numbers stood for. I did In-flight refueling by the way...

Originally posted by ilovepizza
What computer program would be so secret that only 3 people can access it in the world? I know you were just using it as an example but would something really be that secret that only 3 people could access it?

Maybe not so secret but powerfull....for example, did you hear about the federal "internet kill switch"?

sec.line